Cross-country winter storm threatens millions with heavy snow and flooding
A cross-country winter storm is expected to bring severe weather, including heavy snow and flooding, to multiple states as it makes its way across the central U.S.
Heavy snow and blizzard conditions are expected to smash into the Great Plains and the Midwest beginning late Monday and stretching into Thursday, the National Weather Service forecasted. The major storm will "produce numerous, widespread, and impactful weather hazards in the heart of the country this week," NWS said.
The expected extreme weather is part of the same system that over the weekend dumped heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada while downpours at lower elevations triggered flood watches across large swaths of California into Nevada.
Flash flooding and severe weather were expected in Southern and Central Plains Monday night and in the Lower Mississippi Valley by midweek, NWS said.
By Tuesday, Texas and northern Louisiana could be pummeled by severe hail, winds and tornadoes. The storm will continue southeast into Florida later in the week, forecasters said.
Regions stretching along the front range of the Rockies from Montana to Colorado were under blizzard warnings Monday, and the National Weather Service said that as much as 2 feet of snow were possible in some parts of western South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska. Meanwhile, ice and sleet were expected in the eastern Great Plains.
Officials in western South Dakota told residents to brace for 6 inches (15 centimeters) or more of snow: "Get your shovels handy, get your groceries, and check other needed supplies. The roads will be hard to travel."
The Eastern Plains in Colorado received its first blizzard warning of the season, which is in effect from midnight Monday night through midnight Tuesday night, CBS Colorado reported. The area is expected to be slammed with up to 10 inches of snow and could see wind gusts as high as 60 mph wind gusts — conditions that will likely prompt road closures.
The Weather Channel's Mike Bettes on Monday told "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell that heavy snow and strong wind gusts will make travel will be "impossible" in some parts of the country.
National Weather Service warned that up to about half an inch (2.5 centimeters) of ice could form and winds could gust up to 45 miles per hour (72 kilometers per hour) in parts of Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. Power outages, tree damage, falling branches and hazardous travel conditions all threatened the region.
"This is a 'we are not kidding' kind of storm," the South Dakota Department of Public Safety said in a tweet urging people to stock up on essentials, then stay home once the storm hits.
Thousands of students from Native American communities across Wyoming, Nebraska and the Dakotas were traveling to Rapid City, South Dakota, for this week's Lakota Nation Invitational, a high school athletic event. Brian Brewer, one of the organizers, said he had urged schools and participants to travel early.
"We told them with this storm coming — if you leave tomorrow, there's a good chance you might not make it," he said Monday.
In northern Utah, a tour bus crashed Monday morning as snow and frigid temperatures blanketed the region. The bus flipped onto its side in Tremonton after the driver lost control while switching lanes, the Highway Patrol said in a statement. The Highway Patrol said 23 passengers were injured, including some seriously.
